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No. 62I,7 32. Patented Mar. 2|, I899. G. B. WYMAN.

MERCHANDISE SAMPLE cAsE.

(Application filed. um. 23', 1599.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. lVYMAN, OF WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR TO F. BIRD & SON, OF SAME PLACE.

MERCHANDISE SAM PLE-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,732, dated March 21, 1899. Application filed January 23, 1899. Serial No. 703,067. (No model.)

To all whom it. may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE R, WYMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at East Walpole, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Merchandise Sample-'Oases,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portable merchandise sample cases or receptacles for photograph-negatives or flat merchandise samples and other similar objects, the object being to provide a case or receptacle of this class of improved construction in respect to convenience in use, durability, and economy of construction; and the invention consists,first, in forming the same from a single piece of leather, paper,or like materialin such a way that both the bottom and end walls thereof are provided with suitable interconnecting grooves or channels for receiving the borders of the negativeplates and with interposed inwardly-extending plate-separating portions, whereby said plates are held in positions which prevent injurious contact with each other; secondly, it further consists in forming said grooves or channels of variable dimensions, whereby they are adapted to receive objects of varying thickness, and in providing said inwardly-extending plate-separating parts or sections of difiering areas, whereby certain ones-as, for instance, those for preventing the contact of thicker heavy objects-shall extend farther inwardly from the border thereof, thus covering more surface-and consequently affording greater security against injurious contact, and, thirdly, it further consists in providing a suitable fastening device for the receptacle and in so forming said single piece of paper that it contains the requisite enveloping walls, whereby. the contents of the case are protected, and in which means are provided for forming an index on the interior of the same, whereby the contents thereof may be suitably and distinctly registered.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective View of a case for holding negatives or samples constructed according to my invention,

the same being shown with one side turned down atright angles to the opposite one only to illustrate the construction of the blank from which the case is made (it being unnecessary to ever thus swing down said part in practical use of the device) and shown as containing several photographic object-plates.

Fig. 2 illustrates the case in a nearly-closed position with severalof said plates therein and is a sectional view between the infolding plate-sustaining parts of the ends of the case.

. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the case parcase down to and across the bottom thereof,

and the inwardly-extending object-separating parts between said grooves,is indicated by D. The sections between which said part D is located and which contain grooves or channels extending from the top to the bottom of said ends of the case, which are wider and deeper than those of said section D and which contain object -separating parts of greater area than those of said section D, are indicated by E.

Fig. 2 clearly indicates at section D thereof the infolded parts of the bottom of the case, whereby said interconnecting plate-holding grooves or channels extending down each end of the case, as in Fig. 1, are made continuous, as aforesaid.

When the side part a of the case, Fig. 1, shall be lifted up, swinging on line 2, the section parts E and D, folding upon the lines 3 and 4, respectively, will be brought to the positions illustrated in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 1, numerals 1, '2, '3, 4, 5, 6, &c., may be applied to the folds of the case to indicate an index reference-number, and the index-table may be printed or written upon the cover-section O, as shown, containing lines for titles, &c., and numerals corresponding to those on said folds. Thus by simply lifting said cover-section and consulting the index thereon the plate or sample desired can at once be found. The preferable fastening for the said case consists of a strap h, secured by one end to said cover-section O by a bent piece of Wire 7;, one end of which extends, as shown in Fig. 2, in hook or coil form above the outer surface of said cover, so that the free end of said strap, after having been passed around the case to close it, may be caught under said coil or hook.

Fig. 3 illustrates the adaptability of the case for receiving either a thick article 7 or a plate, as aforesaid. Thus made and folded a case is formed having front and rear Walls substantially parallel, expansible ends therebetween, and a cover extending over one end and means for securing said cover around the case.

Havin g thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat= ent, is-- 1. A case for holding plates or articles of merchandise constructed from suitable flexible material, and comprising a rear side section, a cover-section, a front side section, end and bottom sections intermediate of said side sections, several expansible and retractible article-receiving grooves in the inner walls of said intermediate end and bottom sections,

extending continuously from the outer bor der of one end section to the outer border of the opposite one, oppositely-arranged series of deeper article-receiving grooves in said end sections intermediate of said continuous side and bottom grooves, and of said side sections, A and a, substantially as described.

2. A case for holding plates or articles of merchandise constructed fromsuitable flexible material, and comprising a rear side section, a cover-section, a front side section, end and bottom sections intermediate of said side sections, one or more article receiving grooves in the inner Walls of said intermediate end and bottom sections extending continuously from the outer border of one end section to the outer border of the opposite one, and oppositely-arranged series of article-containing grooves E, intermediate of the said continuously-extending grooves and of the said end sections, substantially as described.

' GEORGE R. WVYMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. I-I. CHAPIN, LEWIs O. MARSHALL. 

